Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi responds to questions through the House of Councilors Budget Committee on the National Diet constructing in Tokyo, Japan, April 6, 2026. /VCG
Senior figures from a number of Japanese opposition events joined 1000’s of residents exterior the bustling Ikebukuro station in Tokyo on Sunday night to protest the federal government’s harmful push to ease restrictions on arms exports and advance sweeping navy growth, voicing concern in regards to the nation’s future path.
More than 6,000 individuals attended the protest, in accordance with organizers. Demonstrators held indicators studying “Military force cannot bring peace” and “Takaichi step down,” whereas chanting slogans together with “Oppose war” and “Defend peace,” in opposition to what they described as a shift within the authorities’s safety coverage.
Japanese media have beforehand reported that the Takaichi authorities plans to revise the implementation tips for the “three principles on transfer of defense equipment and technology” inside the month to loosen abroad arms export restrictions.
Opposition politicians talking on the rally stated Japan’s export of weapons may gasoline worldwide conflicts and runs counter to the pacifist rules enshrined within the nation’s structure. They warned {that a} sequence of insurance policies being pushed by the federal government, together with relentless navy buildup, a proposed anti-espionage legislation, and plans to determine a nationwide intelligence company, may put Japan on a harmful path towards making ready for warfare.
Tomoko Tamura, chair of the Japanese Communist Party, stated that Japan’s structure explicitly prohibits the nation from waging warfare, settling worldwide disputes by power, or contributing to worldwide conflicts.
“Whether it is exporting weapons or possessing missiles capable of striking other countries, these moves must be firmly opposed. We must stop efforts to turn Japan into a ‘war-waging nation,'” she stated.
Tetsu Tatara, a consultant of the rally’s organizers, stated that the Takaichi administration’s push for large-scale navy growth and arms exports stands “in opposition to the public will.”
He stated the federal government’s strikes to bolster navy capabilities and deploy missiles, invoking the so-called “China threat” as a pretext, have sparked widespread concern in Japan, prompting a rising variety of residents to voice opposition.
Marin Toyosu, one of many protesters on the rally, stated that weapons are inherently devices of hurt, ones that would set off retaliation, escalate tensions, and danger igniting limitless cycles of wars with penalties rippling far past Japan’s borders.
“As a Japanese citizen, I cannot accept this at all,” she stated.
Source: CGTN